Life's a Journey
by Cearta Day
Summary: Energized by their coming of age and released to their new found freedom, Davis, TK, and Ken decide to go on a road trip on their way to nowhere in particular. ON HIATUS
1. Davis' Idea

Disclaimer: If Digimon was mine... well, there'd be some major changes. I can tell you that much!

Summary: Energized by their coming of age and released to their new found freedom, Davis, TK, and Ken decide to go on a road trip on their way to nowhere in particular. Along the way, the best friends learn more about themselves and each other as they face the challenges this road entails.

Chapter 1: Davis' Idea

Business could not have been slower. He hadn't had a single table in the last hour which was something he might have expected on a weekday, but this was a Friday night. People should have been pouring in, buying their newest special (That he personally thought was made from the same repackaged meat it always was), or getting their hands drenched in sauce from the chicken wings.

The teenager ran his hands through his shaggy, blonde hair. It had become an almost compulsive habit to the point where if he ever lost his hair he'd probably end up constantly petting his head instead. Also, according to his brother, "Girls love messed up hair."

Right when he was about to give up all hope of actually working during his shift, two familiar figures walked through the front door and up to the podium he was currently slouched over.

"TK, you're never going to get any customers with posture like that," one of them nagged in a joking manner.

The teenager, TK, gave him an incredulous look. "There hasn't been more than a person or two come in here all night! My posture isn't scaring away that many people, Davis."

"If you're sure," The spiky-haired brunette shrugged.

The other person with Davis, a blue-haired, skinny young man decided to cut in. "Well if it's not your posture, it's probably this," he explained as he took a crinkled newspaper article out of his pocket and handed it to TK.

TK had acquired a knack for speed reading and scanned the article quickly before getting a nauseating look on his face. "Ken, please tell me that who I think wrote this didn't actually write it."

With a bit of shame Ken replied, "I'm afraid I'd be lying."

"A dump? Uses rotten meat? Boss is a cheapskate? Ugh," TK grunted angrily as he banged the article down on the podium. "Is he ever going to understand that investigative journalism requires actual research and facts?"

"It's his dad's paper, so what Reagan says goes," Davis roughly replied also with an unpleasant look on his face.

All three boys had personally known Reagan before his job as a journalist. He had graduated high school last year but had first been introduced to the boys a few years previous while in a writing course with TK. As TK began leaning towards writing short stories, Reagan had been sold to the idea of writing for a newspaper like his father because, in the words of Davis, "he's a spoiled daddy's boy who's only survival skill is kissing up." Without his father, there's no way he could have gotten a job because, as TK puts it, "The only thing his writing shows is that he knows how to use spell check half the time, and can aim at the paper when he's throwing up."

TK had known the answer before he asked, but he still had to hear it, "So Reagan single-handedly destroyed this place probably for the sake of jazzing up his dull article, and that's why no one's here?" TK had worked at McDougall's restaurant for two years now and had required an odd attachment to it, even if the kitchen did smell like sweat socks.

Giving his friend a reassuring smile Ken said with forced cheerfulness, "Don't worry. There's no way that the famous McDougall's could ever go out of business… and Davis and I can eat here right now."

"I just ate dinner," Davis informed.

Ken rolled his eyes at Davis's oblivious comment. "Then eat again. Besides, you said you had something to tell us?"

"Oh, right!" Davis exclaimed as he began to walk over to the nearest table. He had been here to eat so often that he didn't need TK to escort him.

TK couldn't help but smile at Ken's attempt to cheer him up. He then followed Davis and Ken over to the table to get their order before heading back to the kitchen to inform the cook.

Afterwards he sat down at the table with them. It wasn't like anyone else was there for him to waiter to.

"So what was it you wanted to tell us, Davis?" TK prompted.

Tapping the side of the goggles on his head, his own personal habit, Davis began to explain; "Now we all know that today is a momentous occasion. Today the last member of our trio has his coming of age."

"This isn't about my birthday, is it?" TK asked worriedly. To Davis's full knowledge, TK had never wanted to make a big deal out of his birthday. Davis had never really understood why since he wouldn't take "birthday's are just emphasized to give people a false reason to celebrate" as an answer since TK could fully enjoy anyone's birthday but his own.

With an agitated sigh Davis assured, "It's not _just_ about that. It's about how today is your _eighteenth_ birthday. We are all adults and as adults I think we should be able to do adult things."

"And by adult you mean what?" Ken inquired hoping Davis would get to the point soon.

Donning a serious look on his face, Davis did get to the point, "We have graduation in a few weeks and college in a few months, so I propose that in between we enjoy and relish in our freedom. Boys, we're going on a road trip."

If Davis, the resident goofball, hadn't had such a solemn expression, Ken would have laughed off the idea. He wanted to go on a road trip; Now of all times? There was prepping to do, supplies to buy, a future to prepare for! Ken couldn't possibly drop everything and leave.

Before he got a chance to try and convince Davis to forget the idea, TK decided it was best to respond bluntly.

"Why?"

Davis's brow furrowed. "Let's call it a last stand."

TK shrugged, "Alright, I'm in."

Ken was, to say the least, a bit taken aback. TK was supposed to be the rational one. Ken tended to get too caught up in things while Davis never seemed to think before acting.

Ken looked sideways at TK; "You're going along with this?"

"Sure, it sounds like a good idea before it all happens,"

"It all?"

TK suddenly looked sheepish. "Uh, you know college and stuff."

Ken continued to disagree. "We don't need a 'last stand.' It's not the last anything! The whole thing is pointless. It's reckless. It's… it's-"

"Fun?" Davis cut in.

The genius glowered at him. "That's not the word I was looking for."

"Come on, Ken. Loosen up! It won't hurt anything." Davis was becoming increasingly annoyed with his friend. Ken seemed to worry too much about everything. For a previous boy genius, he couldn't learn how to have a good time.

Ken couldn't help but sigh in defeat. If both TK and Davis wanted to go on this trip so bad, who was he to ruin it?

Ken grimaced, "Fine, I'm in. After graduation we're going on a road trip."


	2. The Planning Session

Don't worry, it's only going to be a few chapters before they get out on the road and start their adventure!

Chapter 2: The Planning Session

_Ding-dong_

With full hands,Davis rang the doorbell to TK's mother's apartment on a pleasant Saturday morning. His mother always left for work early on weekends since she was a bit of a workaholic, so Davis knew TK would be the only one home. He stood back to wait patiently for him to come to the door.

Unfortunately, Davis had an extremely short attention span and found it best to keep ringing the doorbell repeatedly to speed up the process.

_ Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong_

_ Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong_

_ Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-_

Suddenly a disheveled looking TK answered the door, "What do you want?"

Davis chuckled. "Nice pajamas," he commented referring to TK's plaid pajama pants and stained grey t-shirt.

"Do you know what time it is?" TK growled through clenched teeth as he ran his fingers through his hair to discover his horrible case of bed-head.

"I don't know, eight A.M.?" Davis answered. He was being a little too perky for TK in the morning, but Davis had always been an early riser while TK could probably sleep for eighteen hours if no one disturbed him.

The brunette then pushed past TK to enter the apartment. This wasn't the first time Davis had come over uninvited, but it may have been the first time this early on a weekend.

He walked over to the kitchen and dropped his armful on the table before looking around at the familiar space. It wasn't a huge apartment, but it wasn't small either. It was just about the right size considering only two people lived there. TK's parents had divorced when he was younger, and TK's father and older brother, Matt, lived across town.

TK walked over wiping sleep out of his eyes to stare at the substance taking up his kitchen table. "What are these?"

Davis smirked. Even if TK was irritated by being woken up, his curiosity got the best of him. His friend replied, "They're maps."

TK blinked. "For what?"

"The road trip," Davis stated frankly.

"We're planning it now?" After all, they had only decided last night they were having one and would have weeks to get ready. There was no reason to rush. "How did you get all these maps anyway?"

"Well, I kind of figured you and Ken would say yes, so I got them ahead of time," Davis admitted. "Here, you go get dressed, and I'll call Ken to come over."

Normally TK would be much too stubborn to listen to anyone who had just strolled into his home on a Saturday morning without even an apology or explanation of why it had to be this untimely, but this was Davis.

So all he did was grumble reluctantly, "Fine," and head back to his room to change.

When Davis had called Ken in the middle of eating breakfast, he wasn't that shocked. He figured that he was probably calling for something important (or he was bored), but when told to come over to TK's apartment with a ruler and some cereal, Ken was a little suspicious.

Deciding not to question his motives, Ken showed up promptly with a wooden ruler and a half-eaten box of Cheerios, and like Davis said, the door was unlocked, so Ken strolled in.

It wasn't until he saw the pile of papers on the kitchen table that he stopped.

"TK? Davis?" Ken called.

"Over here!" TK's distant answer came from another room.

"So why did I have to bring this stuff?" Ken inquired.

TK grabbed the Cheerios from Ken's hand and went to sit down at the table in the corner that wasn't covered. Then he told Ken, "Well the cereal's because I never ate breakfast."

Ken raised an eyebrow. "And you don't have anything to eat?"

"We're out of cereal," TK defended as he took his first spoonful up to his mouth.

The genius could only roll his eyes at his friend's antics before moving on. "Where's Davis?"

Almost immediately the papers had manifested together before falling apart; one of them had landed in TK's soggy cereal receiving an agitated 'Hey!' from him. From under the papers, Davis appeared and seemed alarmed to find TK and Ken in the room.

Quickly recovering from his surprise, Davis questioned, "You brought the ruler, right, Ken?"

Still startled by Davis's sudden appearance Ken stuttered, "Uh, y-yeah. Here it is."

The goggle-wearing teenager took the ruler from Ken and began speedily explaining his agenda to the other two. "Thanks, Ken. It's too hard to eyeball these distances. Anyway, I say we leave in my car the morning after graduation. We'll need to bring a lot of supplies since we don't know what we could go up against on the road. Then of course there's driving and gas. We should split the gas money and switch drivers every few hours. Oh, also someone should always have the map… How does that sound?"

Davis's expectant look was met with TK playing with his cereal thus only half paying attention to his rambling and a blank stare from Ken.

The silence was broken when Ken finally spoke what was on his mind. "This is about the road trip?"

Davis sighed, "Yes, Ken. I thought you might've figured that out on your own from the maps."

Ken grumbled, "You could have told me instead of being so secretive about the whole thing."

"Does it matter?" Davis questioned, a little vexed that that was all Ken had to say.

"Kind of," Ken revealed.

Noticing the building tension, TK cut in, "So where would we go anyway?"

With a new vigor, Davis answered, "Anywhere and everywhere, Teeks. We live to drive, and we drive to live."

"Isn't that a song?"

Davis paused as if in thought before shrugging; "Probably."

"What about nights?" Ken questioned, "We'll go crazy sleeping in the car every night."

"There are motels," Davis said matter-of-factly.

"So it's settled," TK concluded, "We just drive, check the map, end up wherever we end up, and split everything evenly?"

In unison Davis and Ken agreed, "Right."


	3. Graduation

This is the last chapter before they start their road trip! It includes some Kenyako, Takari, and Davis/OC but none of that is really important after this(besides some Kenyako). Remember, this is a friendship fic! If the pairings bother you, they're easy to overlook.

Chapter 3

Graduation

No matter how much he wanted to, TK couldn't tear his eyes away from the scene around him. He was clad in a blue robe and hat, along with a few hundred other seniors, in the decorated gymnasium of the school.

This was his graduation.

The blonde kept looking around the room positively stunned. He recognized a majority of those in robes but had never seen many of their families or friends before. He saw younger students, crying mothers, proud fathers, and any other person who had shown up to support them. He kept searching the room to find other familiar faces; his older brother along with his girlfriend Kari's older brother Tai, then there was Yolei, Ken's girlfriend, also June, Davis's older sister, finally he saw his mother sitting on the far side of the gym and as expected, his father on the opposite side.

TK couldn't help but roll his eyes at that. It was his typical childish, selfish parents who haven't wanted anything to do with each other since the divorce. He was just glad they both showed up.

"Hey, there you are, TK!" A voice called over the commotion and people. TK turned to see Kari coming towards him. "So how do I look?" she asked jokingly as she bared the same robe and hat as all the graduates.

TK chuckled, "Well I think you look much cuter in that then everyone else."

Kari let out a giggle. "Why thank you," she said while giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "So are you excited?"

"For what?"

Kari gave him a look before replying, "The reason we're wearing these hats."

"Oh, graduation!" TK exclaimed. He shrugged; "I kind of just want it to be over."

She smirked. "Because you can't wait to start your summer crammed in a car driving absolutely nowhere."

"Just because you don't think it'd be fun doesn't mean I don't," TK explained.

"Whatever you say," Kari slurred.

"I'm not ready for this, Catherine. I'm definitely _not_ ready for this," Davis repeated as he stood stiff at the entrance to the school.

"Yes, you are. We've been ready to get out of here for months," Catherine, his red-headed girlfriend, prodded.

"I change my mind. Can I go back to freshmen year? I can take those noogies again."

One of the many things Davis loved about Catherine, he could always make her laugh, and he didn't fail this time.

She let out a boisterous laugh before telling him that he is ready for this, and they should be in the gymnasium by now.

"Alright," Davis agreed reluctantly before letting Catherine drag him inside.

They made their way over to the mob of people by the gymnasium to overhear Ken talking to his girlfriend.

"My college isn't that far, Yolei," Ken reassured.

Yolei was practically screeching (considering her normal voice was a yell), "Not that far? It's four hours!"

"I got a scholarship, and my parents think it's a good opportunity."

"What do _you_ think?" Yolei questioned skeptically.

Avoiding her question, Ken asked one of his own. "Did you want me to give this up?"

"Well, no," Yolei replied sheepishly.

"Then I should go," Ken decided.

"Uh, hey, guys," Davis interrupted hoping the discussion was over. "Ken should probably be getting to his seat; Catherine and I are."

"Alright then, I'll go sit down too. Good luck, everyone," Yolei announced while giving Ken a quick kiss before leaving. Yolei had graduated last year, and therefore would be in the crowd watching.

Ken and Yolei had always been able to do that; bounce right back from one of their heated debates. They did argue more often than not, but Davis knew it was never to hurt one another. They only argued when their ideas or motives clashed.

TK and Kari then walked up and exchanged greetings with the rest of the group.

"So what's everyone going to major in college?" Kari asked trying to start conversation.

"Animal sciences," Catherine proclaimed excitedly.

"Lit major," TK responded proudly.

"Culinary Arts," Davis stated. No one ever really understood why the goofy, soccer-lover would ever have an interest in cooking, but Davis had always found the different tastes and combinations satisfying to discover.

"It took a lot of consideration, but I've finally settled on biochemistry and biophysics."

The others did a mock ooh and awe at Ken's superior sounding choice.

A voice, the principal's, suddenly came on the microphone. "Would everyone please get to their seats? We're about to begin."

A majority of the gathered group physically shuddered. It was time.

Ken wondered, "The seating's alphabetical, right?"

"What else would it be? By height?" Davis joked.

"Ready to graduate?" Catherine asked as a more general question than directed towards anyone.

"Never," Davis grunted.

"Always," TK insisted.

"Probably," Ken faltered.

They all went to take their seats and wait for their names to be called and their futures to arrive.


	4. The Day After

So this is a kind of short chapter to set things up ane get the ball rolling. Next chapter will be up either in the next couple of days

Chapter 4

The Day After

"I can't believe you only wanted to bring one map," Davis muttered.

TK glanced over at his friend behind the wheel. From the moment Davis had picked him up, he had relentlessly been pestering TK about only wanting to bring one of the thousands of maps Davis had gathered for the trip.

"All those maps will just confuse us. It'll be easier this way," TK assured.

Davis finally let the subject subside as they pulled up to Ken's parent's apartment building. As planned, Ken was standing outside waiting for them with all of his supplies; including a backpack, a suitcase, a cooler, and a sleeping bag.

After packing his stuff in the back, Ken hopped in to listen to Davis's criticism. "Now I understand the sleeping bag. I brought one too and so did TK, but why a cooler? Where are we going to get ice to refill it?"

"There are ice coolers at any store," Ken replied haughtily.

"Fine, but you should have told us you were bringing it. We could have brought stuff to put in it," Davis explained objectively.

"Whatever," Ken murmured. "So what now?"

"We drive," said Davis shortly.

Showing his last bits of doubt, Ken had to ask, "But why?"

"We can."

"So?"

"So why not?" TK interrupted. "Start driving." He was tired of waiting for this trip to begin. What if this was the last time he got to spend with Davis and Ken? Now that they were really grown up, they'd all change and drift apart until they weren't friends anymore.

Davis restarted the car as he also tried to start the conversation of where to go. "I think we should go to the beach first." Living in Japan, Davis had always loved the beach and never passed up an opportunity to go.

Ken crinkled his nose at the idea. "We live on an island nation. We can always go to the beach."

Davis pouted, "Fine, but if I keep driving you know we'll end up running into a mountain."

"That's not a bad idea," TK commented.

"Huh?" Davis questioned now confused.

"Yeah, go on a mountain path. We'll end up somewhere."

Ken also doubted his logic. "And if we get lost?"

TK chuckled, "Then this really_ is_ a road trip."


	5. The Mountains

And the action begins! Oh and about the special guest in this chapter, this won't be the last we see of him. ;)

Chapter 5

The Mountains

Despite their doubts, Ken, Davis, and TK decided to go through the mountains. A few hours later, so many that they switched drivers and TK was now driving, they were on a jagged path spiraling around the mountain. The only real problem was that they couldn't locate themselves on the map.

"'Go on a mountain path,' he says. 'We'll end up somewhere,' he says," Davis mocked.

TK grimaced. "I'd like to point out that I'm not the one with the map anymore."

Realizing who he was referring to, Ken looked up startled. "There are only major roads on the map; not some winding, pot-hole infested 'road' without even a railing- TK, don't drive so close to the edge!"

Pulling closer to the mountain, TK's grimace turned into a scowl. "I know what I'm doing, Ken. Seriously, what else could go wrong?"

Davis began to list, "We could drive off the edge, get stuck in these mountains forever, or lose our _only_ map. I'd blame you for any of those."

"If you guys are so afraid of me driving, why don't I pull over into those trees and let Ken have his turn?" TK reasoned.

Sensing that TK was probably just tired of arguing, ken agreed, and TK pulled the car over into a grove on the side of one of the many wooded areas of the mountain.

"So while we're here I have to go."

"I told you to use the bathroom before we left town," Ken reminded.

"I know, I know," Davis threw the words over his shoulder as he ran into a nearby area of trees.

As TK got out of the driver's seat, he noticed the sky for the first time since the trip began. It wasn't quite black, there was still a bluish tint, but there was no doubt about it being nighttime. "Wow, I didn't know it was so late."

At TK's words, Ken looked up amazed. "I didn't know there could be so many stars."

"That's what we get for living in the city," TK said nonchalantly.

"Okay, I'm back," Davis announced as he walked up to Ken and TK. "Why are you both staring at the sky?"

"It's night, and there are stars."

"Amazing deduction, Sherlo- Since when are there so many stars?" Davis exclaimed cutting himself off.

Ken snickered. "Since we got away from the city. You see, it's all about florescent lighting."

Davis had only partly heard what Ken had explained due to still being in a state of awe. "That is so cool!"

Peeling his eyes away from the sky, TK glanced back over at their car to produce a worried expression on his face. "Uh, guys, there's a monkey."

Davis faced TK puzzled. "A monkey?"

"Yes," TK hissed, "There's a monkey in the car! Someone left their door open." There was indeed a small, round-eyed, grey macaque sitting in their car and staring at them through the window.

Ken left the sky behind to absorb the scene before him. "My door was open. Hey, why's there a monkey in the car?"

"Shh! It will hear you!"

Davis couldn't help but be amused. TK, the rational thinker, was afraid of a monkey. "Does the monkey scare you?" He teased.

"What? No!" TK replied quickly, "I just don't want it in the car."

Unconvinced, Davis tested TK's statement. "Then get it out of the car."

"Wait," Ken began, "Isn't that a baby macaque?"

Davis looked back at the monkey that now seemed to have found his backpack and was attempting to use the zipper. "It looks like one."

Ken recalled, "I did a report on those once, and I'm pretty sure they travel in groups."

TK gasped, "You mean there's more?"

"Not necessarily, this one could have strayed from the rest. I definitely don't see anymore."

"They could be around here," TK worried.

"Don't worry. I have a plan," Davis announced.

"Half-baked?" Ken wondered.

"Fully baked and ready to serve," Davis answered smugly, "All we have to do is lure it out of the car, then hop in before it realizes we were tricking it."

Blandly Ken spoke, "Fantastic, how do you suppose we lure him out?"

Davis' face fell. "Well I didn't really get that far. You have any ideas, Teeks?"

Letting his fear subside for a moment so he could think, TK spent some time pondering before replying, "We need someone to be a decoy and keep him away from the car. I nominate Ken."

"Me? Why?" Ken exclaimed.

"You were the one who left your door open."

"Ken will go; Good idea," Davis agreed.

"I don't even know how to distract him!" Ken raged. "It's not like we have food for him or anything else he could be interested in!"

"Well… He has been playing with the zipper to Davis's backpack, and your jacket has a zipper," TK hinted.

Ken looked incredulous. "You want me to give him my jacket?"

"Yes," TK and Davis answered in unison.

...

He couldn't believe he was actually doing this. As Davis and TK hid near the car ready to take it back, Ken stood on the edge of the clearing, holding his jacket at arm's length, and trying to get the monkey's attention.

"Hey!" he called, "Over here!"

Noticing the foreign noise, the monkey looked up from Davis's backpack and straight at Ken causing him to almost shudder. Its face was a light red, and he could tell more clearly that this was a young macaque, probably less than a year old. Ken was still unaware of why it would be alone, but that wasn't his most prominent thought at the time.

"Look at this!" Ken hollered. He held up the jacket and began fiddling with the zipper even if he had no faith that this would actually work.

The macaque's eyes met the zipper, and Ken could see it in the monkey's eyes: it wanted the zipper, so it was going to get the jacket. The monkey began moving out of the car and towards him.

At the same time, TK and Davis came out from the other direction and quietly snuck into the car.

Out of nowhere, fright overtook Ken. There was a wild animal coming at him! He promptly threw the jacket in the other direction thus sending the monkey that way. His mind reeling, Ken sprinted to the car at full speed to hop into the driver's seat. He immediately shut and locked the door behind him to find Davis cracking up in the passenger seat.

"The look on your face was so great! You looked like it was going to kill you!"

Already tense from his newfound fear of monkeys, Ken was not in the mood for this. "That was horrible! I bet you would have screamed your head off if a monkey was coming at you!"

TK sat in the back shaking his head. "And I get laughed at for fearing the monkey."

Davis sobered up quickly, so he could speak. "Okay, okay, that was fun, but it's late. I say we just spend the night in the car."

Ken argued, "How do you expect us to sleep on these seats?"

"These seats aren't bad," Davis soothed, "Just get a pillow out of your backpack and you'll be fine."

Realizing how exhausted he was, Ken gave in and agreed to sleep in the car.

"What about you, TK? Are you okay with it?" Davis asked.

The blonde assured, "I've got the backseat. I think I'll live."

...

"No way, that's not what happened!" Davis exclaimed.

TK chortled, "Yes, it is, but you wouldn't know because you left before the bear got there."

Since sleep hadn't yet overtaken them, the three had ended up staying up chatting. TK in the back encompassed by his sleeping bag, Davis lounged in the passenger seat, and Ken laying on a pillow in the driver's seat.

"I admit the bear thing was pretty scary," Ken negotiated, "but I know something more crazy that neither of you are going to believe."

"You got a B on a test?" Davis guessed.

"Nice try but no. Before I leave for college, I'm going to ask Yolei to marry me," Ken said solemnly.

There was a moment's pause before anyone said anything. Then Davis piped up, "What's she going to do while you're at college?"

"She'll come with me. That's why I'm asking her before I leave."

Davis and TK were again silent. It wasn't that they didn't agree with them getting married. It was just that right out of high school didn't seem like the best time.

"Have you thought about this, Ken?" TK asked finally.

Ken seemed shocked by the innocent question. "Of course I have! I know I'll be with Yolei the rest of my life, so why not now?"

"It just seems like the wrong time. You'll be really busy with college, and you're both kind of young."

"Young? We're adults, and as an adult, I think this is the right thing to do," Ken tried to justify, but TK didn't seem convinced.

He preached, "It's just that you should really be sure before you marry her, and if you are sure then you can wait until after college."

Ken couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You're my friend, TK. You're supposed to tell me to marry the girl I love not to try and stop me."

TK was becoming irate. "I'm not just your friend. I'm one of your best friends, and I'm not going to let you do something stupid!"

"Stupid? You think it's stupid that I would marry Yolei?" Ken yelped.

"I think it's stupid that you're rushing into this!"

"I'm not rushing anything!" Ken attempted to calm down and have TK see his point of view. "Don't you see yourself marrying Kari?"

TK hesitated, "I don't know."

Davis turned to face TK flabbergasted. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"I just don't," Claimed TK sheepishly. "Saying that you'll get married is- is saying you'll stay with someone for the rest of your life. I mean, how am I supposed to know if we'll stay together?"

"Isn't that the point of getting married?" asked Davis.

"It doesn't stop some people," TK stated bitterly.

Davis and Ken were still until Ken spoke up. "That won't happen, TK; to you and Kari or Yolei and me."

"How can you be sure?"

Ken admitted, "You can't, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try."

"You know, Ken," Davis started, "If you weren't going to that fancy college four hours away you and Yolei wouldn't have to get married." Davis had been against Ken's chosen college since the start.

"My parents think it's a good college."

Davis realized, "I haven't heard you say that you wanted to go there once."

"I don't have to want to because I have to," Ken explained, "I need to go to a good college and get good grades and work hard and one day get a great job."

Davis was still unconvinced. "But why?"

"I'm supposed to."

"Says who?" Davis spat, "Your parents? I thought you just said you were an _adult_."

Annoyed Ken said, "I am, but this has been planned for so long. I have to go."

"You don't have to do anything," TK yawned, "What time is it?"

Flipping out his phone Davis answered, "Past midnight; we should really get some sleep."

After a few final words and 'goodnights'' they slept soundly on their very first night of the road trip.


	6. Ricardo

Chapter 6

Ricardo

"Davis, stop laughing!"

"Oh come on! This is hilarious! Let's wake him up."

Having just woken up themselves, Davis and Ken currently lay twisted around in their seats discussing the sleeping third member of their trio.

Davis couldn't wipe the smirk off his face. "Please, Ken, we'll have to eventually." He got his phone out and began fiddling with it.

"What are you doing?" Ken inquired.

"We need to get this on tape. Alright ready?" He reached forward roughly shaking his sleeping friends shoulder.

TK, half awake, grunted and attempted to turn on his side away from the force trying to keep him from his peaceful slumber, but as he turned a high pitched, shrill sound erupted from a nearby source. Alarmed the blonde bolted upright and looked around for the noise. After a few seconds, blue eyes met black and he let out a terrified scream before attempting to leap away but ended up only banging his head on the inside of the car door.

The black eyes belonged to none other than the macaque from the night before.

Davis collapsed roaring with laughter but kept his phone up the whole time. "That was great! Oh, I'm so glad I recorded that, the look on your face!" Davis buried his mouth into his pillow trying to stifle his laughter, so he could breathe properly again.

TK stayed on the far end of the back seat rubbing his sore head, panicked. "Ken, why is the monkey here? Get it out!"

Ken spoke trying to hide his amusement from the whole ordeal, "Seeing as the side door is open, I think he got in and decided to take a nap on you."

Davis stopped laughing long enough to reach his arm forward towards the monkey. "Relax, Teeks, I bet he's friendly."

"Or he's about to bite you," Ken offered watching the creature sniff Davis's arm before climbing onto it.

"See, friendly," The brunette concluded as the monkey began climbing on him like a jungle gym. "I think I'll call you… Ricardo!"

"You're naming that beast?"

Ken raised an eyebrow, "You're naming it Ricardo?"

"Of course, Ricardo's such a good name! I wish my name was Ricardo." The newly dubbed Ricardo climbed off Davis and back over to TK who pressed himself as far back into the car door as he could. "Is someone afraid of the baby monkey?"

"No," TK protested, but his voice quavered as he watched the baby monkey crawl over to him on all fours.

Davis ordered, "Just shake Ricky's hand so the two of you can be friends."

"Ricky?"

"Yes, Ricky, everyone needs a nickname, _Kenneth_."

"Point taken," Ken finalized.

TK looked into the monkey's eyes. It didn't look unfriendly, and besides, TK had befriended plenty of digimon that were ten times scarier looking than Ricardo. The blonde sighed and forced himself to hold out his hand. The creature sniffed it and stared before putting his own hand up to TK's as TK tried not to flinch away and slowly brought his hand up and down bringing Ricardo's with it.

Davis looked satisfied. "See? Now we're all friends! Welcome aboard, Ricky!" And with that, Davis turned around, threw his pillow to the floor, and buckled his seat belt. "Let's drive, Ken."

But Ken failed to make any attempt at driving. "We can't just take a wild animal out of its natural habitat."

Davis frowned, "But _he_ came to us, _he_ broke into the car, and if _he_ wants to leave right now, the door he came in through is wide open."

Ken gestured from the monkey to the door. "Go on, get out of here! We're leaving now!" But the monkey didn't try to leave and instead crawled over to Ken and wrapped its furry arms around the top of his head.

"He doesn't want to go," Davis said.

Ken sighed defeatedly. "Fine, we can keep the monkey!"

Davis cheered, "Great!"

TK muttered sarcastically, "Oh great."

Just then, a loud rumble erupted from Davis.

"Hungry much?" Ken asked while prying the monkey off of him.

Davis groaned, "We haven't eaten!"

"I hear monkey meat is good."

"TK!" Ken reprimanded before turning to Davis. "You find some food. I'm going to the bathroom." He left the monkey on his seat, opened his door, stretched, and walked a few yards away behind some trees.

Davis tapped the side of his goggles. "Find some food? Like out in the woods?"

"I think he meant-"

"If you say anything about Ricardo-"

"I was going to say," TK continued, "that there's probably food in the cooler Ken brought."

Davis rolled his eyes. "Then he wouldn't ask me to _find_ it, he would ask me to_ retrieve_ it."

The blonde blinked. "…What?"

"The point is that we're going to go hunting."

TK cleared his throat indicating Davis's new pet.

"Or, uh, gathering! No hunting here." The brunette smiled sheepishly as the monkey let out a high pitched call at the words.

"Whee! Whee!"

The two friends held their ears to muffle the noise.

"That's going to get annoying fast," Davis muttered. "Anyway, let's roll."

They got out of the car with Ricardo perched, alert, on Davis's shoulder.

"What is he? A watch dog?" TK sneered.

Davis looked amused. "Hey, without our digimon here we could use a watch dog. Now, how do we find food in a forest?"

TK suggested, "I bet there are berries around here somewhere."

Davis craned his neck to meet the eyes of his small companion. "Which way are the berries, Ricky?"

The monkey got up on two legs and did a full turn before sitting back down in a new direction then from before.

Davis shrugged. "Can't argue with that."

"Actually we can."

"Yeah but what's the point?"

Giving in, TK reluctantly followed Davis, and they ended up in a clearing. Ricardo suddenly began calling out, alarming the boys. About six or seven macaques, all bigger than Ricardo, came out into the open and began staring down the trio.

"Ricky must want us to tell them he's going with us!" Davis reasoned.

Upon TK's eyes meeting one of the macaques, it showed its teeth. "D-do they look angry?"

"Hmm? Nah, they just want to know that Ricky was taken to a safe home." Davis took a few steps forward and held his arms out while addressing the macaques. "Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears!"

TK face palmed. "Please no."

Davis surveyed the animals. They didn't seem to be interested in him anymore. "Hey, I'm talking over here!" He then noticed Ricardo had left his shoulder and was running back towards the car.

"Whee! Whee!"

"Did he sound scared to you?" TK asked.

"But scared of wha- TK WATCH OUT!"

"AAAAUGGHHHH!" TK yelped dodging out of the way of a full grown macaque before bolting out of there in the direction Ricardo had gone.

Davis followed suit screaming incoherent sentences about a monkey apocalypse.

They sprinted all the way back to the car, dove into their seats and slammed and locked their doors.

Ken sat in the driver's seat, flabbergasted. "Where were you?"

Davis failed at explaining due to still being out of breath. "Ricky…We…They…angry… teeth…monkey apocalypse."

TK stopped panting for a moment and ordered, "They could still being coming! Drive, Ken!"

The genius made no attempt to drive, still putting the pieces together. "The macaques were angry at you? They probably weren't chasing you as soon as you left their area."

TK scowled. "You weren't there. They were mad."

Davis began searching around, suddenly remembering. "Hey, is Ricky here?"

Ken nodded indicating that the baby monkey on the floor by the gas pedal. "He got here before you did."

Davis smiled contently and leaned back. "Great, we're all here! Let's get out of this monkey infested death trap!"

"Whee! Whee!"

"Uh, sorry."

...

Just saying, Ricky had a very minor role in the first draft of this story and as soon as I added him as a major character, I had a dream my best friend brought a monkey to school, and I had to carry him around all day.

Also, even though the Digital World is mentioned and will come into play in this story, their digimon won't.

I got to the part of a macaque attacking them and after research realized if the macaque got a hold on one of them it would probably start biting which would call for medical attention which would call for a change in the story line, so the "attack" became kind of non-existent.


	7. The Drinker's Name

Chapter 7

The Drinker's Name

"_Achoo, achoo, achoo!" _

"Gee, Ken, is it safe to sneeze that much while you're driving?" Davis taunted.

"It's not like I can control it. My allergies have been horrible ever since we left the mountains," Ken whined.

"Maybe he's allergic to _it_," TK suggested, eyeballing the monkey that was currently poking around his backpack.

Davis shot a look at the blonde before saying, "OR it's because of this town. There are weird plants everywhere."

"What town is this anyway? It seems familiar," TK marveled. It wasn't that he recognized any landmarks so far; there was just a certain atmosphere to the place.

"It's too small to be on the road map," Davis mentioned, "By the way, are we going to eat soon? I'm starving!"

"Achoo, achoo, achoo!" Ken erupted, "Ugh, that's it! We're stopping at a drug store and getting medicine."

After driving through the busy part of town for the better part of twenty minutes, a drug store was spotted out of Davis's window. They all went inside, Davis insisting on bringing Ricardo, to get Ken's medicine and maybe find something to eat.

"You do know there are only snacks here?" TK commented, "You're not going to find anything worthwhile."

"I don't care if I eat a bag of Cheetos for breakfast," Davis announced, "We were in the mountains all day yesterday, and we never got to eat."

"Tthat's why I brought the cooler. There was frozen food in it," Ken informed.

Davis's mouth fell open. "And I find this out now? I could have actually eaten more than just breakfast yesterday!"

Rolling his eyes, TK ignored Davis's outburst. "So you need some medicine for sneezing?"

"If it wasn't obvious, yes. I need allergy medicine which should be in the back of the store at the pharmacy."

"Great, you go get that, and TK and I will find some unfrozen food," Davis ordered.

TK and Davis proceeded to search the aisles for something to eat. Somewhere along the line, Davis lost track of Ricardo, so he was assumed to be wandering around the store. With being unable to cook anything, they ran into some difficulty.

"I give up," Davis decided, "Let's buy junk food."

TK kept looking around as he ran his fingers through his hair. He was sure he'd been here before. "Davis, do you ever go somewhere and feel like you've been there before, but you can't remember when?"

"All the time," He said flat out.

TK blinked. "I'm serious. I _know_ I've been here before."

"TK, is that you?" A seemingly unknown high-pitched voice exclaimed.

The blonde turned with a start. "Lexi?"

"Lexi?" Davis repeated. "Who's Lexi?

"My cousin," TK answered as the owner of the voice came into view. Lexi, a pretty, green-eyed girl, who looked about their age, ran up and hugged TK before she started talking speedily.

"Wow, TK, I haven't seen you in forever! How are you? How's Matt? What brings you to town anyway?"

TK laughed, "I'm fine, Matt's fine, and I'm on a road trip with this guy, Davis, and my other friend, Ken, who's trying to find medicine for his sneezing."

"I bet Ken is allergic to all the pollen around here. A lot of people are," Lexi informed before turning towards Davis. "Hi, Davis, I'm Lexi. It's nice to meet you."

He didn't know what it was about her, but Davis was positively stunned by Lexi's sudden appearance. She just seemed so exuberant and fresh. Suddenly realizing he never answered, Davis nodded, "Y-you too."

Lexi merely giggled. "So how long will you guys be in town?"

TK shrugged. "As long as we want."

Lexi insisted, "Well you have to spend the night at our house! My dad hasn't seen you in forever, TK."

"Will there be food?" Davis piped.

"Sure," Lexi responded.

"We'll be there."

"Wait, uh," TK started suddenly remembering what might pose a problem. "We have someone else with us."

His cousin looked confused. "They can stay too."

"It's a monkey."

She enunciated each syllable slowly. "You own a pet monkey?"

Davis tapped the side of his goggles. "Well we're in possession of a monkey."

TK lowered his head. "It's a long, painful story. I'll tell you later, but will your mom be alright with it?"

"I can't say I know her feelings on monkeys," just then Ricardo ran up and leaped onto Davis's shoulder causing Lexi to grin, "But who could say no to that face!"

* * *

><p>"Hey, Mom, I have a surprise!" Lexi called as she stepped into her family's townhouse. Promptly taking the invitation, TK, Davis, Ken, and Ricardo were to spend the rest of the day and night at Lexi's parents', TK's aunt and uncle's, house.<p>

"_Achoo, achoo, achoo!_" Ken exploded.

"Wasn't the allergy medicine supposed to stop you from sneezing?" Davis questioned.

"It is," Ken grumbled, "But it'll probably take awhile to kick in."

Just then a petite, brown-eyed woman appeared from what seemed to be the kitchen entrance. "What is it, Lexi? Oh, is that TK?"

"Last time I checked," TK joked.

"Hello, TK! It's been too long! How's your dad? Who are these two? Is that a monkey?" It was easy to tell where Lexi got her excitement from.

"Hi, Aunt Lindsey, he's fine, and these are my friends Davis and Ken, and yes, that's Ricardo the baby macaque."

Lexi explained, "I told them they could spend the night."

"Great!" She exclaimed. "Just show them to the guest room, but it's a little messy. I wasn't expecting company."

"That's fine," TK assured. "Thanks for letting us stay."

His aunt shook her head. "It's no trouble at all."

"So you don't have any concerns with the monkey?" Ken piped up surprised.

"Of course not! I love animals!" As she spoke TK's aunt was already taking Ricardo from Davis and letting him swing on her outstretched arm. She squealed in delight. "Can I feed him? What does he eat?"

Ken shrugged. "Bananas probably." Lexi left to retrieve the desired fruit from the kitchen.

Davis folded his arms. "A banana? That is so offensive."

The genius skipped a beat. "What?" Lexi returned with a banana and was holding it out for Ricardo.

"He's a monkey, so he has to like bananas, huh? I see how it is, you monkey-ist."

"Davis, he just ate the banana." Ricardo indeed had peeled the banana with his feet and was munching at the top of it.

"Oh… It's still rude to assume things," Davis grumbled.

There were a few moments of silence. "You know, adding 'ist' onto something doesn't make it-"

"Yes, it does!" Davis protested not wanting to be proven wrong again.

Lindsey watched the monkey contently. "Now, there's only one bed in the guestroom, so the monkey tamer can have that."

Davis whispered to TK, "Ha ha, your aunt likes me best!" The blonde just rolled his eyes.

"And, TK, you can take the couch down here, and, Ken, would you mind a blow-up mattress?"

"That'd be fine, thank you," Ken responded politely.

She spent a few more moments admiring the monkey before calling out, "Tony! Show Davis the guest room! Lexi, help Ken with the air mattress, and, TK, you and I can search around for some blankets and pillows for everyone."

"Uncle Tony's here? Doesn't he have to work?" TK asked surprised.

Lexi laughed. "It's Saturday."

"…Right."

* * *

><p>Davis surveyed the small, exotic guestroom in awe. It was full of knick-knacks, small statues, boxes, colors, and patterns that Davis never thought he'd see all in one place.<p>

TK's Uncle Tony, a husky man with thick brown-hair, laughed at Davis's awestruck expression. "Close your mouth, son. There could be flies."

"Where'd you get all of this stuff?"

"From back when I traveled the world with my trusty steed," he joked.

"Really?" Davis asked completely serious.

The man stopped. Was this kid really the gullible? Getting a sinister idea that his wife would reprimand him for but he knew would be hilarious in the long run, Tony spoke, "Yes, of course, except for that box over there." He pointed to a large box that, unbeknownst to Davis, had an old, beat up stereo in it.

"What's in there?"

"Not what, who."

"Who?" Davis repeated.

Tony sighed trying to sound as sad as he could without laughing. "My dear mother, rest her soul, has been turned into ashes and placed in that very box, so don't touch it, or you'll disturb her spirit and be haunted for all of eternity."

Davis gulped. "And you're sure you can't take it out of the room?"

Tony shrugged nonchalantly. "It was her room first."

Davis gulped. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p>After setting up the various sleeping arrangements, TK, Davis, and Ken sat down for tonight's dinner, hamburgers, with TK's aunt and uncle and Lexi. Aunt Lindsey had set Ricardo up in a high chair with oddly little protest.<p>

Realizing that his hamburger was missing the most important ingredient, ketchup, Davis reached across the table for the bottle, but at the same time, Lexi seemed to be reaching for the same purpose. Looking up from his grip on Lexi's hand, which was originally meant for the bottle, Davis sheepishly withdrew his hand.

"S-sorry," He mustered.

Lexi attempted to smile politely but instead blushed harder than before. "N-no problem."

Ken snickered at the exchange causing Davis to quickly elbow him under the table making Ken laugh a little harder.

Unaware of the exchange, TK's uncle was chatting up his nephew. "So what are you going to college for, Kid?"

"I'm majoring in literature, Uncle Tony" TK answered. He always enjoyed having his uncle around. He used to live closer and TK always loved going over to his house. In some ways he was the opposite of his brother, TK's father. Tony was relaxed, calm, and laid-back while TK's father was usually tense and stressed. Like his mother, his father could also be accused of being a workaholic.

"Ooh," Tony cooed, "Sounds fancy. Are you going to still play basketball in college?"

"He doesn't want to," Davis replied for TK, the hostility definitely audible in his voice. Davis had always made sports a priority. He was, after all, going to college on a soccer scholarship.

TK sighed and directed his explanation at both his uncle and Davis, "It'll get in the way of everything else and be a waste of time. It's not like it could ever be my career."

Davis sat back and grumbled, "Says the captain of the high school team."

Tony laughed, "Well I guess it's TK's decision, Davis. Even if we both know he'd be great."

That's good old Uncle Tony for you: Always on your side.

"So," Lindsey started, "What's your dad been up to?"

"Work, work, and in his downtime, work."

"As expected," Tony dismissed, "Any girlfriends?"

TK shrugged. "No one worth mentioning."

"I swear," Tony muttered before going on louder, "Ever since your mother cheated on him and they got divorced he just can't get into a new relationship. It's probably why he works so much too."

That's also good old Uncle Tony: Always speaks his mind even when you don't want him to.

In all TK's years of knowing Davis and Ken it had never come up (or he had avoided telling them entirely) that his parents divorced because his mother had been having an affair. TK glanced over at them, not looking for any specific reaction but still for something. Davis' eyes seemed to have bugged-out a little in surprise, but he wasn't actually looking at anyone or anything. Ken on the other hand seemed very interested in his hamburger.

Now having everyone at the table's attention, Tony went on, "The guy she cheated with was a real jerk too; one of those constantly drinking guys; Mike Christopher was his name I'm pretty sure."

"Uh, honey, did you want another hamburger?" Lindsey asked.

That was the good thing about Aunt Lindsey. She could control Tony or at least get him to stop talking when he's not saying what he should be saying.

'Mike Christopher, a drinker' TK thought. He had been aware that his mother had had an affair, but no one had ever bothered to mention the man's name to him nor had TK really cared at the time. Now he could give a name to the imaginary man he had made up in his head as a child. He had always pictured him to be an angry man ready to steal his family and wreck his life just for fun, but it was different now. He had a name for the man, he had a description; drinker. The man was now real.

* * *

><p>Thank you for reading!<p>

Long chapter, abrupt ending, but this was the best stopping point.

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far! They're appreciated!


	8. A Night on the Couch

Chapter 8

A Night on the Couch

TK grumbled to himself, still bitter about Davis being given the whole guestroom while he was assigned to sleep downstairs on the couch in the family room.

And what a lumpy couch it was. TK only had to lie down for a second to realize, this would be a long night. Oh well, he did have a television across the room from him, so if he finally gave up on sleep, he could pass the time watching it.

"I thought you'd already be trying to get your eighteen hours in," Davis quipped as he walked into the room.

Ignoring the comment TK questioned, "Why are you up? Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

Davis suddenly got an embarrassed, almost guilty, expression. "I needed to talk to someone about something."

TK raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Something?"

"More like someone," Davis corrected.

"Are you talking about Lexi?" Noticing Davis's stunned look TK continued, "I noticed the way you both were acting. I also recall that you have a girlfriend, so there might be a problem."

Davis began to explain the situation as he sat down in a chair opposite the lumpy couch. "It's not that I would ever want to start anything with Lexi; long distance relationships never work, but what bothers me is that I liked her and I thought about doing something about it but…"

"But there's Catherine," TK finished, "And you're scared that you actually liked somebody else. Relax; it's normal to just be attracted to someone else. The problem is if you do something about it."

"But what if it's a sign," Davis worried, "Maybe it means that I should break up with Catherine before things get too serious."

"You've been dating for a year. I think it's already serious. You liking Lexi is not a big deal, but if it bothers you talk to Catherine about it."

"Why is it that you always know what to say? Do you follow me around and take notes or something?" Davis crossed his arms.

TK grinned. "I'm just good with the whole advice thing."

The brunette yawned before saying, "Yeah, you are; thanks. I should get back to bed. Night, Teeks."

He nodded as Davis exited the room. "Night."

The blonde sighed. What had he been doing before? Oh, right; making plans to watch television. Now where was the remote? It had to be somewhere, but if he couldn't find it TK could always walk up and turn it on manually… or just keep lying in the dark. It was quite peaceful besides the lumpiness of the couch. With no one around it seemed more relaxing, serene, and most importantly quiet.

"Whee, whee!"

It was nice while it lasted.

TK twisted his neck to see none other than Ricardo perched on the edge of the couch.

"Davis is upstairs. Go upstairs!" TK tried to communicate. He even went as far as pointing to where the goggle-wearer had just exited, but Ricardo just sat there not getting the message.

TK raised an eyebrow. "We already fed you. What more could you want?" The monkey paused a moment before climbing its way down the edge of the couch and onto TK's stomach.

His eyes widened in understanding. "You can't sleep on me again, Ricardo." Ignoring his words, Ricardo looked with big, imploring eyes never flinching. TK sighed in defeat and patted his stomach in welcome. The monkey obliged, nestled in, and curled up. The blonde looked from the monkey to the end of the couch… to the remote sitting on the end table. He looked back down at the peacefully sleeping monkey that kept his torso firmly in place. Well, watching TV was out.

"TK, you're still up?"

TK turned his head to face the door that led to the stairs. "Uncle Tony, why are you still up?"

"I'm always up late," Tony said matter-of-factly. "I just came to get a glass of water; my throats been scratching since dinner. Those hamburgers were kind of burnt."

"Um, you made the hamburgers," TK reminded.

Tony cackled, "Exactly why they were burnt, so what's your story for being up at this hour?"

He looked over at his uncle as if it was obvious, "The monkey on me."

"Are you sure that's the reason?" Tony seemed skeptic.

TK was left a bit confused. "Is there another reason I would be up?"

"I was just thinking," Tony commenced, "Maybe I shouldn't have said all that stuff at dinner about Mike. At least that's what your aunt said; something about opening old wounds and such."

Oh, so that's what he meant. TK tried to force a smile but failed miserably. "It doesn't really matter. It happened a long time ago, so don't worry about it."

Tony shrugged, "Still, sorry. I get caught up, you know? I talk without thinking."

"Like I said, don't worry about it." TK didn't really want to think about it and wished his uncle would just change the subject. Why would he care about some guy that he never actually met? Even if that guy had split up his parents, made him move to a new apartment across the harbor, and completely wrecked his family and his entire life. Why should he care?

Why was he even thinking about it? Probably because his uncle was right, he hadn't thought about that guy, Mike, in so long that he might have momentarily stopped blaming him; but why would he ever stop blaming him? It was his fault after all. Maybe TK should put a little more blame on him; maybe he should be punished; maybe TK needed payback.

Thinking fast, TK started speaking again, "But, um, whatever happened to Mike anyway?"

Tony moved his hand in the air as if swatting away a gnat. "Last I heard he was up in Makon; the city with that really great bar. Being a guy like him, a city with any bar is as good as heaven."

"Cool," TK responded as if the information meant nothing. "Shouldn't you be getting your water?"

"Right," Tony agreed as he left the room for the kitchen next door.

After that TK lay back down. Mike is in Makon; should he write it down? No, there was really no need; he wouldn't forget.

* * *

><p>Davis looked around the room in apprehension waiting for something to come to life and attack him, perhaps the tiki doll in the corner or the various gnome statues strewn across the floor? This place really was a sight, but Davis's eyes kept going back to the box with, as far as he knew, the ashes of Grandma Ishida.<p>

The box was taped shut and balanced precariously on the edge of a dresser. Davis tip-toed around it carefully in order to not disturb any spirits. He moved the various odd-smelling rugs and rags that might have once been clothes off of the bed before lying down and getting settled for the night. He looked back at the box. It was over there, and he was over here; he was free for the night, wouldn't have to move again 'til morning. Sure, the light was still on, but he could handle that.

That is, he couldn't handle having eaten four burgers and drank five glasses of water.

The more Davis told himself he didn't have to go, the more he did, but he held it in willing himself to make it until morning. After all, it was only eight more hours, only eight more hours, only eight more hours.

His thoughts were so rhythmic. At a nice steady pace…

Drip, drip, drip

Oh please, not that pace.

Drip, drip, drip

Think about something else, anything else.

Drip, drip, drip

The weather was good, except it was supposed to rain.

Drip, drip, drip

Rain! Water! Oh, have mercy!

Davis shot out of bed knocking various items over as he went. He didn't flinch when the tiki hit the floor or even a glass figurine that had sat on a small seat shaped like a pumpkin, but then his foot slammed the dresser and the box tipped over.

It was like everything was moving in slow motion, the wind swooping around the box, Davis's cries, the thud that resonated around the room when it hit the wood flooring, and finally a high-pitched squeal came from within the heart of the box.

"NO, DON'T HAUNT ME! I'M SORRY! SPARE MY SOUL!" Davis yelped at the top of his lungs before dashing out the door full-speed, dripping and rain completely forgotten.

He sprinted down the stairs, stumbling and falling halfway causing TK and Ricardo to jump, but Davis kept running.

He grabbed TK by the collar pulling him towards the door. "TK, we have to get out of here now! I disturbed your grandmother's rest! She wants to get me!"

The blonde merely blinked allowing his friend to drag him a few more feet. "What are you-"

"There's no time for questions! We have to get away before she finds me! Go get Ken; I'm going to be hiding in the car." And with that, the goggle-head ran out the door and leapt into the driver's seat.

* * *

><p>I really liked writing this chapter<p>

By the way, I like the name Catherine and it didn't connect in my mind until after posting the graduation chapter that there was a french digidestined named Catherine -_-

Thanks for reading!


End file.
